From a young age Canadian Snowbird Dan Rossi knew he wanted to be a pilot.
"The first time I saw the Snowbirds perform it was in Lethbridge, Alberta at the Lethbridge Air Show when I was just a small boy," said Rossi, now an Advance and Safety Pilot for the Canadian Snowbirds 431 Demonstration Squadron.
"I used to go every year. My dad was a coal miner. Many people there were. It's a proud job made for strong people."
After seeing the Snowbirds perform, Rossi decided that, for him, being a coal miner was no longer an option. He wanted to become a pilot and fly something, anything. He just didn't know how he was going to go about doing it.
"It was never in my realm of possible, there's no airports where I'm from, it's in the mountains," Rossi says.
Fast forward a few years … Rossi finished high school and went on to Mount Royal College in Calgary, Alberta. There, he graduated from their Aviation program with a commercial pilot’s licence. He then enrolled in the military and went on from there to fly all various military planes.
"I flew the Sea King, the Dash 8 and now this (CT-114 Tutor), so I've flown a bit of everything. I've been in the military for 16 years now and I'm loving every second of it", Rossi says.
Rossi says that anyone who's ever flown an air-plane will tell you that every flight is different and almost always a thrill.
"It never ever gets tiring", he says. "Every time you get into an air-plane, it makes its own unique fingerprint. It's always exciting and we all love it. We do it for love. We'd do it for free if we had to."
Although flying can be an amazing experience, Rossi says that it can be hard on the body.
"In the cockpit, there's a lot of bouncing around", Rossi says. "It's rough, your helmet is heavy and the mask is clamped to your face. You're sweaty, clammy and sitting on a little pad in the ejection seat that's about an inch thick."
Regardless of how uncomfortable it can get, Rossi says that, for him, there are few things in the world that can give him a greater sense of satisfaction.
"When you're looping it and rolling it, pulling G and having fun, you're like an 8-year-old kid and it doesn't matter what it's like, you're just having a great time", he says.
Rossi says that it's the camaraderie that keeps the squadron cohesive and strong.
"Obviously we're a pretty small knit group," he says. "We travel around with just these 11 jets and a transport truck. So of course, we get to know each other pretty well, like a bunch of brothers and our CO is our sister. It's a really good group of guys."
Rossi says that it's important that they all share a group mentality and know how to co-operate well with each other.
"We work as a team and it truly is, in all sense of the word, a team. We work together very well and I love working with these guys. They're awesome."
The team started in 1971 as a group of instructors in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan which is their home base and they’ve been going strong ever since. The team has managed to evolve over the years by adopting a unique paint scheme for their planes and have worn the same red uniforms with pride.
The Snowbirds fly the Canadair CT-114 Tutor, a Canadian built jet used by the Canadian Forces as its basic pilot training aircraft until 2000 that largely built in the 60's. The Tutor weighs approximately 7170 lbs (3260 kgs) and is powered by a J-85 engine producing 2,700 pounds of thrust. Top speed of the aircraft, with smoke tanks attached, is 412 knots (470 mph or 750 km/h). Each plane, if bought new, would cost approximately 1 million dollars, not including the technology inside the cockpit. Currently, their squadron planes are half through their expected life span and will be retired by 2020.
The Snowbirds are a Canadian national icon, a symbol of pride and unity for all Canadians. People love coming to see their show.
"Everywhere we go, we see a sense of pride in Canadians", Rossi says.
"Whenever we go, coast to coast across Canada, North and South, people know who we are and they love what we do. They love what we represent and just like our country, they are strong and proud," he says.
Every year the group changes up their demonstrations and performs new manoeuvres. This year will be no different,
During the show in the Bay this week the Snowbirds will perform a high show which in involves the team "looping and rolling" and doing what they do best.
"We will be demonstrating the skill, professionalism and teamwork that is all of the Canadian Forces", Rossi says.
The Snowbirds will be performing at 12:30 pm on June 1st at the Waterfront to help celebrate Armed Forces Day. The Hock 1, which is an F86 Sabre, will kick off the airshow at 12:15 pm.
Everyone is encouraged to be down at the waterfront for 11:00am so they can see the show in its entirety. The snowbirds will perform for one half hour.
The events are being held in conjunction with a Freedom of the City tribute to the military units based in North Bay 22 Wing CFB North Bay, The Algonquin Regiment and 33 Service Battalion.
This year is also the 60th anniversary of CFB North Bay.
"North Bay has a huge part to play in the NORAD chain of command within the Canadian Armed forces," explains Rossi.
"Being one of the few Wings, we're pretty scattered out these days so whenever we can get to a base to where our military members are and show them what we do for them and to thank them for what they do for us, we will do that and we love it."
